Gender Inclusive Brands + Graphic Design Outputs - Practical Research

drawn influence from popular culture and has used elements from music, film, literature and childhood nostalgia to design all of her prints from scratch. 

Each collection has a broader inspiration, and each individual piece adds to the story of the release. 

Using bright colours, contrasting patterns, and visual imagery in classic, wearable silhouettes 

Hayley’s brand is inclusive, body positive, and artistic while not taking itself too seriously.

=> importance to Charlotte on having pieces of clothing that have a story and meaning 

=> Similar to Jannike Sommar, these designs feature strong bold colours and graphics 

=> There are strong visual images present on the pieces rather than simple abstract patterns that give way to focus on the prints themselves rather than on the form and shape

PRACTICAL ANALYSIS 

=> The aesthetic feels quite naïve and directed towards younger people

=> I wouldn't pursue this style as it feels like it's following a very mainstream trend aesthetic eg. the flames 

=> Would want it to feel more authentic to me

=> But it's interesting seeing an inclusive designer creating clothing that to me feels very feminine 

=> Reasserts to me that inclusive clothing that can be any aesthetic of design you wish as long as you have created it with all genders and people to mind 

=> Some of her designs are based around raising awareness around a topic

=> These differ from her repeated pattern textile prints and hold a stronger direction in my opinion 

=> Having both directions for her designs is successful in creating pieces that are simply playful and and fun and also hold importance in what they are saying to the audience 

THE PHLUID PPROJECT 

"The Phluid Project, launched in March of 2018 in NYC and online for access worldwide as a gender free fashion brand. We joined a movement of humans committed to challenging the ethos of traditions past that inhibit freedom and self expression. Our world is grounded in purpose and humanity through fashion, community, activism and education. The rising voice of today’s youth reject gender binaries and desire an all encompassing space, both physically and virtually, that allows us to wear what makes us feel good and express ourselves with freedom and authenticity."

-Rob Garrett Smith, Founder

= This company seems to present a range of aesthetics within both their clothing and presentation in order to appeal to the large band of a gender inclusive audience

= eg. the make up photography is very on brand with contemporary analogue editorial for younger people: like a young person taking photos in their bedroom, sheets are used in the background to recreate this genuine touch, and there is a very glossy innocent shine to the people 

= eg. the clothing photography of the people on the beach is very digital, more traditional commercial seen in magazines directed towards older audiences 

= The clothing they make also presents two types: Specifically political t-shirts, that make statements and comment on gender and current political issues, and more conventional floral prints and colour block basic essentials 

=> AGAIN like Hayley, this brand does not just have one direction and it is this inclusivity in the design direction that reflects the general inclusive ethos of the brand 

FLUIDE 

mission-driven beauty brand that creates vegan, cruelty-free and paraben-free cosmetics designed for all skin shades and gender expressions. We believe that makeup is joyful and fun — as well as powerful and transformative — and nobody should be left out.

Through providing a platform and amplifying the voices of queer and gender expansive identities and through showcasing queer beauty, we hope to inspire others to create their identities on their own terms, opening up possibilities for everyone’s self-expression.

= Because this is a makeup company, it does not follow a range of aesthetics as much as the other brands discussed above 

= The makeup creations are all very experimental and vivid to grab the viewers attention and show the possibilities for the make up

= It also reflects this sense of do whatever you want and as far as you want well, which works with the idea of no judgement free for all 

= It does show some natural make up looks alongside the more dramatic looks however, ensuring within the makeup sphere that it is inclusive in its presentation 

BRANDING : LOGO, Website, Instagram etc. 

The branding of all these companies follows a very literal representation of what fluid could mean in a visual style 

= vivid, bright range of colours (like a spectrum) 

= type which presents letterforms that are expressive and kinetic eg. FLUID is manipulated to look warped into the form of a wave whilst Phluid follows a continuous connecting line, which is opposite to the notion of categories and boxes that gender is put into 

 OVERALL ANALYSIS 

=> All of these examples look at presenting inclusivity with a colourful, out there aesthetic, which I think may not apply to everyone 

=> It's important that the inclusivity in gender is also reflected within the product and presentation itself 

=> eg. in my photoshoot a range of different people and presentations should be used (those who do not want to wear make up and those that want to experiment with it... those who want to wear bright, patterned clothes and those who want to wear earthy, neutral tones etc.) 

=> Both The Phluid Project and Fluide have a logo that works well in presenting a simple, inclusive image. While not everyone likes monochrome, plain text, it will appeal to more people than a very colourful, playful one. As logos in general monochrome work best in all contexts for their function

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DIGI-GXL 

Just a few months later, the network is delivering a fully digital, gender-fluid CGI catwalk in time for London Fashion Week, reflecting the full spectrum of the Black diaspora, refracted through the lenses of gender, sexuality, ability and physicality. The project came to life as a partnership trio, with Digi-gxl working alongside FANGIRL, a Black-owned, non-gendered hand accessories brand and IoDF; The Institute of Digital Fashion, a network which seeks to reconfigure the traditional structures of fashion through technology.

- restructure how technology and digital are used from creation to consumer, building a new inclusive future, re writing the semantics of digital fashion.

https://www.hungertv.com/editorial/unified-by-colour-the-making-of-the-digital-catwalk/

As a starting off point, how do you see your roles within fashion, and what needs to change in the mainstream fashion world?

FG: FANGIRL’s role is to challenge what is being prioritised and seen as valuable representation. Currently in the industry we are seeing a lot of virtue signalling, and not much action. That’s what needs to change – there needs to be more action. Brands and the industry need to show they really have skin in the game from the ground up. Their design process, manufacturing, all the way through to their marketing campaigns, all need to be inclusive of race, gender, ability and sexuality.

IoDF: IoDF was created to push tech-use towards a more sustainable and democratic future for the fashion industry – an industry which we believe is hindered by its attachment to rigid and exclusionary traditions. Through projects like this one, we want to develop a new manifesto for how digital is used, it’s often seen as quick fix  but we are here to demystifying the process and the craft and artisan its 1000’s of hours and months of work to create, that why the BTS WIP images are also important to include.

We are pushing to change an industry that’s already on its knees, the archaic beast that is the fashion industry needs to be reinvented, the model, the production, the shows, showrooms and its thinking, we need a progressive, challenging, innovative new landscape and we are here to shape that.

DGXL: An important part of the work we do at Digi-gxl is creating space for marginalised communities to thrive in the tech sector. The fashion industry as a whole is fixated on tradition – from body types to design processes to gendered product development – and we’re committed to changing that.

FANGIRL 

= Interesting accessory choice that presents various designs that will appeal to a large audience 

= some political eg. black and boujie, while others are playful bright patterns 

= This fan was specifically made to present their inclusive values through a simple focus on colour 

= what accessories could I employ for my practical outcomes that could emphasise the subject at hand?

= Seeing this fan widens my ideas on what the possibilities could be 

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THE FACE + GAL-DEM COLLAB ON GENDER AND CONSENT 

When coupled with the policing of my Blackness it’s like my agency and desires are constantly restricted. Being hypervigilant of the lack of consent around me has led me to ask myself: What do I actually want? And how do I get to a world where I am always safe to choose?

ANALYSIS

=> Layout in general of this article is really interesting 

=> Strong, bold type and bright, vivid colours throughout 

=> 3D graphics by Gal-dem to create a third layer above the very flat colour aesthetic 

=> The 'branding' of this overall project feels very strong

=> Yet again, all analysis of above outcomes use similar visual direction